I’m told: “There were a whole host of celebrities taking part. It was a really mixed bunch. Meryl Streep and Gary Barlow were in the studio, and there was an audience on set. But the big talking point was Kate and Johnny.

Johnny Depp and Kate Moss were confirmed to be joining as well. [Article] Jude Law and Chris Pine are also in!

Also first video from on set. We get a glimpse of Meryl at the very beginning as well.

Katie Holmes has closed a deal to join Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges in The Giver, a drama from The Weinstein Co. and Walden Media that’s being directed by Phillip Noyce.

Thwaites plays a young boy who is selected for his life service as the Receiver of Memories and works with The Giver (Bridges), an old man who teaches the boy to use his unique gifts of the senses. Streep is the society’s Chief Elder, an authoritative and antagonistic woman who assigns the young their tasks.

Holmes will play Thwaites’ mother, a strict obeyer of the laws that govern what is described as an antiseptic society.

The movie, which is eyeing a budget of around $25 million, is being produced by Nikki Silver of Tonik Productions along with Neil Koenigsberg and Bridges.

Michael Mitnick wrote the most recent script adapting the Lois Lowry YA novel.

A shoot in South Africa is being planned, although it is likely that Steep will shoot her scenes in England, where she is filming Disney’s Into the Woods.

Holmes is repped by ICM Partners, John Carrabino Management and Sloane Offer.

Wall and Leider are in the process of getting together three-time Oscar winner and eight-time Golden Globe winner, Meryl Streep, with our own powerhouse performer, Padma Shri Sridevi, the winner of five Filmfare Awards. Our source indicates that the film is titled Cowboys And Indians and will be directed by 43-year-old Amy Redford, daughter of Hollywood legend, Robert Redford.

Sixty three-year-old Meryl and 50-year-old Sri are reportedly being considered for stellar roles — one representing the cowboys and the other, heading the Indians. As we write, Meryl has “shown interest” and so has Sri. The B-Town diva was last seen in English Vinglish (2012) and her superlative performance in the film is perhaps one of the reasons for her being considered for the prestigious project.

Sri, we hear, is in the process of reading the screenplay. Her manager,Punkej Kharbanda, said, “Yes, we are happy to have received a communication about a project with Ms. Meryl Streep.”

Disney’s “Into the Woods” kicked off production last week, featuring an award-winning production team and all-star ensemble cast – including a surprise addition: ANNIE’s Lilla Crawford as ‘Little Red.’ It was previously reported that YouTube star Sophia Grace had landed the role.

Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Award-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics-including an all-new song for the big-screen adaptation. “Into the Woods” is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall. Shooting in studio and on location throughout England, the film is slated for a December 25, 2014, holiday release.

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

The all-star ensemble cast includes: Meryl Streep(“The Iron Lady,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “August: Osage County”) portrays the Witch who wishes to reverse a curse so that her beauty may be restored; Emily Blunt (“Looper,” “The Young Victoria,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) is the Baker’s Wife, a childless woman who longs to be a mother; James Corden (Broadway’s “One Man, Two Guvnors,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Gavin & Stacey”) plays the role of the Baker, a hard-working man who desperately wants to start a family; Anna Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect,” “Up in the Air”) fills the shoes of Cinderella, who finds herself on a journey of self-discovery; Chris Pine (“Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Jack Ryan”) portrays Cinderella’s Prince, charming and impossibly handsome, who is on an endless quest to find his bride; Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean” films, “The Lone Ranger,” “Sweeney Todd”) steps in as the Wolf, who sets his sights on Little Red Riding Hood; Lilla Crawford (Broadway’s “Annie”) makes her feature-film debut as Little Red Riding Hood, a smart and spunky girl who journeys into the woods, finding unexpected adventures along the way; Daniel Huttlestone (“LES MISERABLES”) lands the role of Jack, an absentminded and adventurous boy who trades his treasured cow for five magic beans; Tracey Ullman joins the cast as Jack’s Mother, a poor and exasperated mom who is overwhelmed, yet fiercely protective of her son; Christine Baranski (“Mamma Mia!,” “Chicago” “The Good Wife”) takes on the infamous Stepmother who wishes for riches and grandeur; she’ll do anything to marry off one of her daughters to a prince; Mackenzie Mauzy (“Brother’s Keeper,” Broadway’s “Next to Normal”) plays Rapunzel, a sheltered young woman who experiences the world beyond her tower for the first time; Billy Magnussen (Broadway’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “The East”) is the dashing and eager Prince who courts Rapunzel.

The award-winning production team includes Dion Beebe (“Collateral,” “Chicago,” “Nine”), Oscar winner for the Marshall-helmed “Memoirs of a Geisha,” as director of photography. Dennis Gassner (“Skyfall,” “Quantum of Solace”), who won his own Oscar for “Bugsy,” serves as production designer, and three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Chicago,” “Alice In Wonderland”) is costume designer.

“Into the Woods” premiered on Broadway on Nov. 5, 1987, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The production, which ran for 764 performances, won Tony Awards for best score, best book and best actress in a musical. Among other awards, the musical received five Drama Desk awards, including best musical. “Into the Woods” has been produced around the world, including a 1988 U.S. tour, a 1990 West End production, Broadway and London revivals, in addition to a television production, DVD recording and a 10-year-anniversary concert.

Filming on the first week of shooting for Rob Marshall’s eagerly awaited stage-to-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s celebrated fairy tale-themed musical INTO THE WOODS starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp is now complete and the soundtrack is already nearing completion according to Tweets by cast-members shared this week.

James Corden, who stars as the Baker, wrote earlier today, “First week shooting Into The Woods done! Tired but loving it.”

Earlier this month, Corden posted a shot from the recording studio of a microphone and sheet music, commenting, “This is my view. Into The Woods without delay!”

Broadway favorite Tammy Blanchard, who plays one of Cinderella’s step-sisters in the film, Florinda, also commented on the recording process, taking to her Twitter account at the beginning of this month to write, “Sooo excited to record tomorrow. We start filming so soon! Loving every moment here in London. #ITW.”

Daniel Huttlestone, who plays Jack, commented on the recording process and posted a photo to his Facebook account, as BroadwayWorld originally reproted here, and also posted a new picture to his account yesterday with the caption, “First day of shooting today !! Aaaahhh ! So excited !”

Additionally, ensemble cast member Michelle Grant took to her Twitter account to write, “Costume fitting @sheppertonstudios – ‘Into The Woods’ Movie #intothewoods” while posting a picture of the famous studio where the film is being shot.

The confirmed complete cast for INTO THE WOODS is as follows: Meryl Streep as The Witch, James Corden as The Baker, Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife, Johnny Depp as The Wolf, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella,Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince, Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel’s Prince, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Lucy Punch as Lucinda, Tammy Blanchard as Florinda, Christine Baranski as Cinderella’s Stepmother and Tracey Ullman as Jack’s Mother, with Sophia Grace Brownlee as Little Red Riding Hood and Daniel Huttlestone as Jack.

View the photos of Corden, Huttlestone and more in the recording studio and onset of INTO THE WOODS below.

The Weinstein Co.’s lit adaptation The Giver has added 16-year-old Odeya Rush to its cast. The actress, seen in Disney’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green, joins Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Brenton Thwaites in the dystopian tale adapted from Lois Lowry’s novel about Jonas (Thwaites), a young man who is chosen to receive memories of life before emotion was wiped from society. Israel-born Rush will play Fiona, the best friend and love interest to Jonas. She is repped by Gersh, Magnolia Entertainment and attorney Rick Genow.

Streep due in Mother City to shoot film

The film is actor and producer Jeff Bridges‘ adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 classic children’s novel of the same name.

The Cape Film Commission’s CEO, Denis Lillie, said he had met executives from the Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year to discuss the possibility of the deal.

Months later, and the 64-year-old is on her way to Mzansi.

Lillie said yesterday: “We are expecting them here [Cape Town] towards the end of September. We anticipate they will be shooting for six to eight weeks, depending on weather and locations.”

He said Durban had been mentioned in talks, although “they haven’t clarified this with us yet”.

The film reportedly centres on 12-year-old Jonas’s gradual disillusionment with an outwardly utopian futuristic society. Streep will play the film’s chief elder, who is “the authoritarian charged with keeping order”.

The deal is another coup for the Mother City, with Hollywood films shot in the city including Morgan Freeman-fronted Invictus, Safe House starring Denzel Washington and Zulu, starring Orlando Bloom. The upcoming Long Walk To Freedom, led by Idris Elba, was also shot in Cape Town.

Streep has won three Oscars, two Emmys, eight Golden Globes, two Baftas and two SAGs.